Snapshot: Man is driven to display his vintage motorcycles

According to collectors of such things, the rarest motorcycle in the world is a 1916 Traub owned by Dale Walksler of Maggie Valley, N.C.

It is one of 350 of the historic vehicles in Walksler's Wheels Through Time vintage motorcycle museum in the quiet town just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, west of Asheville.

Walksler's passion for motorcycles came early in life. In fact, when he was 22, he had the distinction of becoming the country's youngest Harley-Davidson dealer in his hometown of Mt. Vernon, Ill.

He grew weary of selling bikes and decided to collect them and open a museum.

At 38,000 square feet, Wheels Through Time is considered to be the largest and best collection of its kind in the country. It has been featured on numerous television shows and draws thousands of visitors from across the world.

It is also an "All-American" place. From Harleys to Hendersons and everything in between, the oldest in the collection is a 1904 Indian that Walksler still rides in "Century Races" of bikes that are at least 100 years old.

And, there are several ties to Berks County in the North Carolina museum.

Two Reading Standard motorcycles are in the collection. They were built in a factory on Water Street. The 1909 Standard took second place at a Pebble Beach, Calif., show in 2010.

Also, Bernville native and graduate of Tulpehocken High School, Trish Davis Allen, is the owner/curator's fiancée. She met Walksler when she visited the museum in 2010. They became friends on Facebook and have been together ever since.